


Stay the Night

by Blood_Art



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Caring, Drinking, I just like AUs, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, Mutual Pining, Pining, So fair warning, Thanatos cares so much for Zagreus, look i'll write them normally someday but today is not that day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28982370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blood_Art/pseuds/Blood_Art
Summary: Zagreus felt awareness slowly return to him as he woke up. As he did, he also felt a headache forming. He was laying on his side, curled up under a blanket. Slowly, he allowed his eyes to open. This… was definitely not his room.Zagreus makes some poor decisions, and Thanatos is there to take care of him when he does. A little modern/college AU ThanZag :)
Relationships: Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 128





	1. This Morning

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! A little heads up! There's gonna be mentions of drinking throughout this fic so please be aware going in! I think that's all the warning needed!

Zagreus felt awareness slowly return to him as he woke up. As he did, he also felt a headache forming. He was laying on his side, curled up under a blanket. Slowly, he allowed his eyes to open.

He was not expecting to come face to face with Mort.

The stuffed animal rested safely in his arms in front of him, tucked under the blanket as well. Zagreus' glanced at the blanket, which was a soft purple colour. He sat up begrudgingly, feeling the soft bed pull him back to rest. This… was definitely not his room.

"Oh, you're up." An all too familiar voice confirmed Zagreus' realization. 

"Mmmmm morning Than." Zagreus yawned, stretching his arms above his head as he spoke. He opened his eyes fully, taking in the room, before tilting his head to look towards the door and his friend, standing in the frame. As per usual, Thanatos looked prepared for the day. His outfit was put together and his hair neatly parted down the center. Amber eyes met mismatched ones. "I- uh- why am I in your bed?" Zagreus asked finally. Thanatos' face seemed to drop for a second before his eyebrows knit in a tinge of concern.

"Do you…" Thanatos paused, choosing the words carefully. "Do you not remember last night? At all?" His voice tried to mask any worry, but Zagreus has known Thanatos long enough to hear the slight emotion in each word. His train of thought halted. Did he remember last night? Zagreus' face concentrated. He turned away as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to remember… whatever he did last night.

"Um… well…" Zagreus spoke, trying to fill the silence as he desperately tried to remember anything. This headache was not helping. He snapped up to look at his friend again, a worry rising. " I didn't do anything… bad, did I?" Thanatos bit his lip as his expression remained. Zagreus groaned as the horror arose that he probably definitely did something bad. "Oh my god, Than, whatever I did, I am so sorry I don't-"

"Zagreus." Thanatos' voice broke off the attempted apology. His eyebrows had lowered, his expression changing to concern. He stepped further into the room, towards the bed. "You really don't remember anything that happened?" He was a few steps away from the bed, crossing his arms around himself. Zagreus took a deep breath, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"I'm really trying but yeah no. Also, do you have any pain killers? I think my skull is about to split." He tried to joke at the last bit, attempting to lighten whatever worry was going on in Thanatos's head. From the lack of expression changing, he wasn't successful. Thanatos opened his mouth before pausing. 

"Yeah… yeah, I got some ibuprofen if that's alright." He finally said. Zagreus shot him a thumbs-up as he let his head hang. Thanatos placed a hand gently on Zagreus's shoulder as he responded. "Alright then, I'll be back in a minute. Lay down if you need to." Zagreus nodded, now having closed his eyes. There was a moment of silence before Thanatos removed his hand and walked out. Zagreus let himself flop back to the bed. His mind raced, trying to recall any event that happened last night. Hell, what even was the last thing he remembered doing at all? He knew he had called Hypnos about meeting for lunch, he had met with Achilles for extra practice, he was supposed to do something before he went home-

"You still awake, Zag?" Zagreus opened his eyes, looking up. He was met with Thanatos staring down at him. 

"Yeah, sorry." Zagreus sat back up, despite his body's protest. Thanatos stepped back and over to the nightstand next to the bed. Zagreus' eyes followed.

"Nothing to apologize about." The taller man replied as he set down a pill bottle and glass of water. He opened the bottle before pausing, thinking. 

"I could use five of those right now." Zagreus grinned. Thanatos shot him a glare.

"Absolutely not. I'll give you two for now." Turning back, he shook said two pills out. He turned to Zagreus, offering up both pills and water. He took them with a smile.

"You're an angel." Zagreus threw the pills into his mouth and washed them down.

"I know." Thanatos smiled as he screwed the lid of the pill bottle back on. Zagreus sipped at the cold water before asking.

"You want to fill me in on what happened, then? Last night?" His words were shaking more than he intended. Thanatos looked at him before turning back to the pill bottle on the nightstand.

"In… in a bit, ok?" He grabbed the bottle and turned back to face Zagreus. "You need something to eat, so I'll go make you something. It'll be basic, something plain. in case you start to feel nauseous." He ran his fingers along with the cap of the bottle, looking down before returning eye contact. " Stay in bed if you need to." Before Zagreus had a chance to respond, Thanatos spun on his heel and left the room. Zagreus stared blankly at the door. A sigh left him as he decided that as nice as staying in bed sounded, he should probably get up. 

•••

Zagreus stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom connected to Thanatos' room. He looked… like shit. His eyes were laced with tiredness. His bed head was particularly all over the place. Zagreus looked down at the shirt he had on. His mind stopped. The black t-shirt was oversized on him and read 'Lernaean Hydra'. Thanatos favorite band. Holy shit, this was Than's shirt. Why was he wearing it? When did- Did Than give him it?

A loud buzzing rang out from back in the bedroom. Startled, Zagreus made his way over to find the source. He found it in his varsity jacket pocket, which he noted had been draped over the chair at Thanatos' desk. As Zagreus pulled out the phone, the ringer stopped. Great. He sighed, opening the phone and checking to see who called. He checked the recent caller IDs and stared down at the last number. Dionysus. 

"What does he want?" Zagreus muttered as he checked to see if his cousin had left him a message. Sure enough, when he looked, there was a short voice-mail. He sighed and pressed play.

"Heyyyyyy Zag Maannnn. Listen, I just wanted to give you a quick call and make sure you got home alright! I know you said that white hair guy you always hang with was going to come and pick you up but, well, you weren't 100% with us by that point, I think. But hey, that means you had a great time then, huh! Did some real partying! Well, judging you didn't pick up, I'm gonna assume you're still crashed- no judgment here- but do let me know when you get up that you're alright, man!" Zagreus stared down at the phone screen as the message ended, mouth open. He blinked and shook his head. Dionysus… partying… white-haired guy… picking up. All at once, the pieces clicked, and with that click, Zagreus raised his hand to his face. 

"Oh… my god." He sighed out. He had blacked out. Zagreus groaned into the palm of his hand. Not being able to remember, the headache- or, hangover- Than being worried. Duh. He let his hand slide down his face before checking to see his call history once more. Sure enough, at around one in the morning, there was a call to Thanatos. Putting the phone down, he turned and marched back into the bathroom. "God, I owe him. Big time." Zagreus muttered as he splashed his face with water, and began to try and fix his hair a bit.

•••

"There you are. I was beginning to wonder if you had passed back out." Thanatos didn't look up from his laptop, set in front of him next to a mug and plate. He nodded towards the seat next to him. There was another plate with toast on it and a glass of water. "I figured toast was a safe bet, but I also have cheerios if you want really easy on the stomach."

"This is fine, Than. Really, you didn't have to." Zagreus pulled the chair out and sat down. Thanatos glanced over to his friend before returning to whatever he was typing.

"Yes well, it's the least I can do." Thanatos reached over to grab the mug next to him. Zagreus stared down at the toast.

"You've already done a lot." He picked a slice up and took a bite, testing if his body would let him eat anything right now. Thanatos took a sip from the mug before staring at Zagreus. "Look, Than, about last night… I don't remember almost anything, but I got a call from Dionysus just a bit ago and he said I was preeeetty wasted." Zagreus' stare remained on the toast in front of him, trying to avoid meeting the other man's gaze.

"That's a pretty accurate way to put it." Thanatos closed the laptop and folded his hands in front of him as he listened. 

"Ok well," Zagreus bit down another bite of toast. "I meant… he mentioned that I called you in the middle of the night to see if you could pick me up." Zagreus could feel Thanatos eyes staring at him, but couldn't bring himself to match the eye contact. "And judging that I'm here right now, you picked up."

"Zagreus, I wasn't just going to ignore my phone going off that late."

"You could have."

"You wouldn't have called me if there wasn't a reason." Thanatos leaned slightly towards Zagreus. "You sounded completely out of it, too. I couldn't not go make sure you were alright." Zagreus sighed, hearing the words.

"But I shouldn't have gotten that wasted. God knows you don't get enough sleep already and-" Zagreus looked forward, "Oh my god, I got you up at one in the morning, made you pick me up, and kicked you out of your own bed?" He brought his hands up to his face. "I'm so sorry Than, I'm the worst."

"Stop that, it's not a big deal Zagreus." Thanatos reached out and placed his hand on Zagreus' arm. Zagreus looked over at him immediately.

"Yes, it is." Zagreus looked at Thanatos's face. He stared right back at Zagreus, expression unreadable but worry shined through amber eyes. Thanatos. His friend since ever. Who played with him when they were little. Who went to concerts with him. Who stood up for him. His friend. His best friend. His best friend who forgave him after he ran away without a word. Who, hell, helped him once he found him. Who always was willing to lend an ear, a couch, a meal, anything Zagreus needed. 

Zagreus swallowed the lump in his throat before he spoke, finally looking away. "You got so much shit already, Than. The last thing you need is me throwing you off schedule because I'm dumb. I shouldn't have gone to that party- I told you I wouldn't do that shit anymore- but I still did." Thanatos face softened as Zagreus spoke. "And then I came running to you for help again because I-" 

"Zagreus." Thanatos's voice was quiet yet direct. Zagreus stopped and looked up. He hadn't realized the tears starting to swell in the corner of his eyes. "That's enough of that." Thanatos sighed and looked on at him. Reaching over to a tissue box on the table, he handed one over to Zagreus before continuing. "I know I'm busy, but- god- I'm here for you, no matter what. No matter how many stupid choices you make. You know that, don't you?" Zagreus blew his nose before looking back up at Thanatos. 

"I know. I just… I don't want to burden you-"

"You don't. You never do. So stop acting like you do." Thanatos spoke every word directly. Zagreus swallowed and smiled sadly.

"Sorry, still working on that part I guess." He muttered. Thanatos sighed before continuing.

"Look… Zag. I-” Thanatos opened his mouth before pausing “Last night, you were a mess. Like, a genuine mess." He closed his eyes before returning his focus to his friend in front of him. "I was worried."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This is actually the first fic I've uploaded/wrote for uploading so I hope you enjoyed it! Idk how long this'll be but yeah! These two have my heart. The next chapter is going to a flashback of last night, from Thans perspective.


	2. Last Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-Dah! Chapter 2 is here! I think I'm gonna jump between the morning after and the night before in each chapter! So this one is a flashback to last night! A quick warning again for drinking and emetophobia, so if you're sensitive to that, please be aware!

Thanatos gasped as he woke up in fear as his phone went off. Upon realizing the lack of any real threat, he groaned. The phone continued buzzing. As he laid there, Thanatos ran through whether or not he wanted to get up and check it or just let it ring out. On one hand, he was tired and rather comfy. He had just fallen asleep, too. He stared absently at the ceiling, the buzzing continuing. The other hand was that it could be an emergency. Something bad could be happening, maybe Nyx or Hypnos were hurt. Thanatos squeezed his eyes shut before sighing and slinging his legs over the side of his bed, the fear of a possible emergency prompting him to move. The caller ID revealed a third hand that Thanatos wasn't exactly fond of, but nonetheless, answered still. 

"Zagreus, this had better be important." He growled into the phone. He waited for a reply, hearing nothing but the background noise of cars. "Listen, I don't know if you checked-"

"Thannnnnn!" Zagreus' sluggishly cheerful voice replied all of a sudden. "You picked up! I really thought you wouldn't- but I hoped you would- and you did!" The words were slow and rushed, and strung together messily. Thanatos straightened up as he tried to process everything. He sighed again.

"Zag, are you drunk?" He sat down on his bed, listening intently. 

"Heh, you got me. Dionysus sure does have some crazy shit, you should ask him to make you this one drink he made me… it was fruity- you like fruity, right?" Zagreus rambled onwards as Thanatos noted the lack of party sounds from Zagreus' end of the call, which usually accompanied calls like this.

“Listen, I appreciate it, but Zagreus.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “What do you need?” Zagreus paused on the other end, sniffling as he listened. "Where are you right now?" He asked as directly as possible. Drunk Zagreus was not exactly the best at understanding from his experience. 

"Oh, um let me see!" Zagreus went quiet for a few seconds before responding again. "Well, I am currently at a park! It's nice but kinda chilly!" He replied happily. "Um… though, that's actually my- the uh… the reason I called you, Than." Zagreus' voice dipped out more as he went on. Thanatos got the memo.

"Are you asking me for a ride?" Thanatos replied deadpan, already moving to find his jacket and shoes.

"... yeaaaa?" Zagreus answered. "I-if that's not too much for you! This bench is actually waaay more comfortable than I thought! I’d be fine here!" Thanatos slipped on his other sneaker.

"Not a chance. Send me your current address. I'll be over there as soon as I can." Thanatos sighed, reaching over to grab his car keys before heading towards the door.

"Ah! Thank you thank you thank you thank you! Oh my god, I knew I could count on you! You're the best, Than oh my god I love you thank you thank you." Zagreus blurted out. Thanatos stared ahead, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes as he entered his car. 

"Hold your praise until I get there. But you're welcome." Thanatos smiled as he exhaled, seeing the address pop up from Zagreus's number. 

***

By the time Thanatos got to the park, it was 1:37. He half expected to find Zagreus passed out on one of said 'comfortable ' park benches. He closed the door behind him as he looked around the park, hoping that Zagreus still had-

Yep, there were those gaudy bright orange shoes. Thanatos never thought he'd be so happy to see them. He began walking as directly towards the other man, who was currently laying down on a bench, as he could. He wasn't in a particularly great mood: the tired refusing to be rubbed away from his eyes, his limbs aching, and the distinct annoyance that Zagreus told him that he wouldn't go off and do stupid things without a bit of a warning first. He could go out, fine, but at least a heads up. Especially if he was planning on drinking till he couldn't walk straight. Thanatos sighed, getting closer to the other man. As if he heard the quiet sigh, Zagreus sat up not so gracefully and looked at Thanatos approaching. A huge smile spread across his face.

"Than! It's you!" He exclaimed, the smile not wavering. Thanatos stared blankly ahead at him. How he had so much positive energy in him, the world would never know.

"Hello, Zagreus. If you're done lounging about, we can-" 

"I can't believe you actually came!" Zagreus exclaimed, looking overly happy to see Thanatos. His lip trembled slightly as his expression melted from joy to somber happiness. "I… can't believe you actually came." Thanatos blinked, confused by the shift.

"Of course I came- Zag, what's gotten into you?" Thanatos moved closer to Zagreus, who was beginning to slump over himself. Thanatos sat next to him and gently tried to sit him back up. Zagreus, instead, slumped over to lean his weight onto Thanatos.

"I thought you wouldn't, cause it's late and I think you're mad at me cause you look angry." Zagreus rested his head against Thanatos' chest, speaking softly. He fidgeted with the buttons on his jacket. Thanatos noticed he was shivering slightly, even with it on. Zagreus had never been great in the cold. Thanatos placed a hand on his back, trying to provide a sense of comfort.

"You know I just look like this normally." Thanatos tried to ensure the words really reached Zagreus. The other man's head still hung down, shielding his expression. "You of all people know I'm not exactly great at showing what I'm feeling." He leaned down slightly, closer to Zagreus.

"I know. I just… I would be angry at me." Zagreus muttered. His voice kept wavering. "You should be angry at me." He said, as quietly as he could as if it was a thought he never meant to release. Thanatos paused. Zagreus's frame was trembling, a sign Thanatos knew too well meant he was trying to contain cries. Thanatos continued rubbing at Zagreus's back and reached his other hand up to Zagreus's hair, gently running through it. This… was not what he expected to deal with.

"I'm not mad at you. Ok?" Thanatos replied carefully. "You mean a lot to me Zagreus." Thanatos continued to brush through the wild, dark hair. Whatever was weighing on Zagreus wasn't going away it seemed. "Hey, didn't you say you were with Dionysus earlier? Why are you here alone?" Thanatos asked. Zagreus sniffed, wiping his nose on his sleeve. 

"Oh… I left and walked here." Zagreus replied, still shaking. "I needed to get out." Thanatos' brows furrowed. 

"If I may ask, why?" 

"I don't know." Zagreus turned himself more towards Thanatos, leaning further onto his body. The two sat in silence for a while, Thanatos continuing to try and comfort Zagreus as much as he could. Eventually, Zagreus spoke back up. "... too much."

"Come again? I didn't hear you. " Thanatos looked down at Zagreus' head. 

"It was too much." He spoke up. "Too many people, too much light, too much noise." Zagreus' body was still shaking. "It was fine at first… but then? I couldn't deal with it anymore. It was too much, I needed to get out." He sat up to turn his head towards Thanatos. His eyes were puffy and red, tear stains left on his cheeks. "I didn't want to worry Dionysus though, it wasn't his fault, so I told him I was gonna head out. He said I should spend the night since it was late but I couldn't deal with that so-" 

"You called me?" 

"Told him I was gonna call you. Then- yeah, called you." He turned his head back down, returning it to resting on Thanatos. Thanatos sighed.

"Well, I'm glad you did. You look like you need some company right now." He smiled softly. "Come on, let's get you home then." He moved so he could wrap one of Zagreus's arms around his shoulders and help him stand. After some maneuvering and adjustments, the two were up. As they started to walk carefully back to the car, Zagreus groaned.

"Ugh, god. the last person I want to deal with is my dad." His face grimaced at the thought. "He's gonna kill me." Thanatos looked at him, thinking.

"What if you spent the night at my place, then? Your dad might kill you if he thinks you were at Dionysus', but he wouldn't care if you were just with me." Thanatos proposed. He despised lying, especially to Hades. The man was huge, scary, and was in charge of Underworld University. The last thing Thanatos wanted was to do anything to jeopardize his good standings with the man, especially since it seemed like a difficult task to do. Despite that, he still always put Zagreus first. 

"Pull the old switcheroo, huh?" Zagreus smiled as he spoke. Thanatos huffed.

"I don't think that phrase is correct here-" Zagreus stared up at him blankly, blinking. Thanatos looked at him for a moment before a sigh left. "But sure, the old switcheroo." Zagreus grinned.

"Alrighty, switcheroo it is!" He exclaimed. He stumbled forward, barely being caught by Thanatos. "Oh, fuck." He muttered.

"Everything ok?" Thanatos helped the other man move to kneel on the ground. He knelt beside him, worry encompassing him.

"I feel like I'm about to hurl…" Zagreus winced, steadying himself with a hand on the ground. As if on cue, Zagreus threw up. Thanatos leaned away, patting his friend gently on the back as he heaved up his guts.

"Well, as Hypnos says: better out than in. Or… something like that." Thanatos remarked, remembering Hypnos’ not-so- elegant evenings in the bathroom after wasting himself. Zagreus raised a shaky thumbs-up as he continued. Thanatos rubbed at his back, once again trying to provide a semblance of comfort. After a minute of finally not throwing up, Zagreus spoke.

"I think I'm going to die." His voice was raspy and shaking as much as his body was now. Thanatos smiled slightly.

"I don't think that's true. Um, got it all out?" He asked. Zagreus glanced over at Thanatos for a moment before looking down at himself. 

"I think so- oh damn it, I puked on my shirt." He stared down at himself. "I liked this shirt." He whined.

"We can clean it, but… you're gonna catch a cold if you keep it on." Thanatos ran through his thoughts, trying to think of a solution. "Here, could you take it off and just wear your jacket for now? I know it's not ideal but I'd rather you didn't wear a cold vomit shirt in my car." He asked. Zagreus stared ahead, thinking.

"Yeah… yeah, that works." He replied, scooting himself back from the puddle of vomit. Immediately, Zagreus started removing his jacket. Thanatos stood up. 

"I think I have some grocery bags in my trunk. We can throw your shirt into one of those for the ride back." Zagreus looked up at him and nodded. Thanatos turned and jogged over to his car, which luckily, they were almost at. He opened the trunk and sure enough, there was a small stash of grocery bags in the corner. He pulled one out, closing the trunk, and returned. Zagreus was currently struggling to get the buttons of his varsity jacket to close. His hands and body were trembling. He looked up at Thanatos.

"Hey, uh, embarrassing question. Can you help?" His teeth were chattering as he asked. Thanatos stepped forward and kneeled in front of him. He reached towards Zagreus' hands to move them aside.

"Shit Zag, your hands are freezing." He exclaimed, the usual hot hands feeling icy against his. 

"Wow, that must mean I'm really freezing if you of all people think I'm cold," Zagreus remarked, a small grin forming. Thanatos shook his head before looking back down at the buttons. And Zagreus fit body. It's not that he forgets Zagreus is an athlete- a good one at that- it's just that he forgets how toned he actually is. Thanatos shook his head again.

"Focus, Thanatos." He muttered under his breath, working his way up each button. 

"Huh?" Zagreus asked. Thanatos finished off the last button.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." He replied quickly. The last thing he needs is Zagreus teasing him for staring. Thanatos grabbed the empty grocery bag, opening it in front of them both. Zagreus turned to grab his shirt, now crumpled into a ball, and put it in. "Alright, we're almost at the car, so let's get going." Thanatos helped Zagreus back up, and the two trekked over to the car. Zagreus leaned against the passenger door as Thanatos walked over to the drivers side. He unlocked the car, turned it on, and turned on the heat. 

"Oooo, I can already feel it through the door." Zagreus smiled. Thanatos made his way back towards him, opening the door and helping him sit. "You know I can do that myself?" Zagreus stated as Thanatos buckled him in.

"Not that I don't believe you, but right now I feel safer if I'm the one doing this," Thanatos replied plainly, leaning back out for the car and closing the door. He walked back over to the drivers' side, noting Zagreus putting his hands up to the heat. He was still shivering. Badly. Thanatos bit his lip as he opened his door and sat himself down. As he reached over to buckle himself in, he found himself looking on as Zagreus hugged himself, shaking. Thanatos didn't realize how long he was staring until Zagreus turned sluggishly towards him.

"Uh, whatcha' looking at?" He asked. Thanatos blinked before he faced forward. He breathed and started to work his jacket off.

"You're freezing. I mean actually freezing." He stated, pulling his jacket off and offering it over to Zagreus. "It's not much, but you can use this as a blanket for the ride back. Or, I don't know, wrap your hands in it so they can warm up a bit." He kept his stare forward as he spoke. 

"Are you sure you don't need it, Than?" Zagreus asked. Thanatos looked over at him, his eyes big and full of compassion. Those mismatched eyes would be the death of him. Thanatos gave him a smile.

"Unlike some people, I'm cold-blooded. Isn't that what you always called me?" Zagreus giggled, remembering the old teasing name he called Thanatos when they were younger. Zagreus took the jacket from Thanatos hands and moved it till it was laid over him. As he did, Thanatos began the drive back to his home. Zagreus nestled himself into the chair and closed his eyes. He was quiet and still the whole 36-minute drive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Getting some Than perspective this round. Thank you for all the love on this so far! I'm happy to see so many people liked it!


	3. This Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey, I am back! This chapter took longer to finish than I expected, and then I forgot to actually upload it (Oops) but here it is! We're back to the morning and Zagreus' perspective. Gotta have a little angsty-ness with these two

Thanatos gaze was unwavering. His amber eyes locked onto Zagreus's eyes.

“When I picked you up, you were upset about something. Something happened at your cousin's party and you wouldn't tell me.” Thanatos fidgeted his thumb along his knuckles, glancing down. He raised his lip. “But you said the same thing then that you just did now.” It seemed it was Zagreus's turn to stare blankly.

“I’m not following.” Zagreus replied slowly and carefully. Thanatos's eyes moved back to Zagreus.

“About being a burden! You always do this- you always put on this... front.” He spoke. His expression softened. “I don’t get why you still do around me.” Zagreus felt one of his eyebrows raise. 

“What- Than, what are you going on about?” Zagreus looked at the others' faces, trying to read anything in the expression. “Seriously: straightforward?” 

Normally, he prided himself on his ability to read Thanatos. He’s notably inexpressive by others, but they just haven’t been around him enough. They didn’t understand the way he tilts his head, how his mouth pulls up subtly, the softening of the corners of his eyes, any of it. Zagreus searched the expression now and got… nothing. Just two eyes staring bullets through him. 

“Zagreus, do you think I’m going to leave you behind?” Thanatos spoke flatley. Zagreus felt his skin go cold. The words were haunting. He didn’t know what sparked this, or how Thanatos was apparently psychic who could read people's worst fears they didn’t know they had. He tried to laugh as he responded.

“Why would that-”

“Do you?” Thanatos asked. There was a silence between them. Zagreus closed his mouth and turned back to look at his toast in front of him. Thanatos kept his eyes on him, letting the question sit. 

Did he put up a front? Sure, but doesn’t everyone? Meg always acts like the toughest person in the room. Achilles even tries to ensure he always has an air of confidence around him. And what room did Than have to talk? He was practically the master of ignoring everything and acting as professional as he could. Zagreus bit the inside of his cheeks, thinking. He couldn’t remember the last time Thanatos got like this. Maybe when Hypnos almost dropped out.

Thanatos sighed, grabbing his mug and standing up. He paused, looking at Zagreus for a moment. 

“I’m going to make more coffee.” Zagreus glanced out of the corner of his eyes as his friend left the room, retreating towards the kitchen. He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. He tried to process what Thanatos was going on about.

_“Do you think I’m going to leave you behind?”_

Zagreus squeezed his eyes shut as the question rang in his mind. That was the last thing he wanted to think about. Is that what he said last night? He didn’t think he was an emotional-kind-of drunk. If he was, he would definitely already have exposed every crush he’s ever had. Especially when he was around Thanatos so often. He was strong, tall, smart, hardworking, and frankly gorgeous. Zagreus couldn't help being a hopeless romantic at heart. He was fully aware he had gushed about Meg in high school to Thanatos all the time, but the moment he started noticing his growing crush on his friend, he stopped mentioning anything to do with crushes. The last thing he needed was to ruin his most valuable friendship by being a loudmouth.

The sound of the coffee machine starting in the other room brought him back, serving as the only other noise besides his own breathing. Zagreus opened his eyes, looking at the plate in front of him again. He grabbed the slice of toast, taking a bite. Thanatos had never been great at asking emotionally charged questions. In a way, it was a relief. He never danced around topics and if Zagreus vented, Thanatos would tell it to him like it was. He usually gave the right advice, even if you didn’t want to hear it.

In every other way, however, it was like a harsh slap to the face. Thanatos would drop heavy-hitting questions and statements without any real preparation. He’d drop hard questions about Zagreus’ home life with his dad. He asked about Megara right after they broke up- that one stung. Zagreus had almost slapped him when he accused his mother of leaving him behind. Zagreus stopped. He felt his face drop. Is this Thanatos’ way of... Was this the last straw? Is Than sick of him? Is that why he asked? Zagreus was afraid it was only a matter of time, but he swore there was something else. He wanted there to be something else.

“Zagreus?” Thanatos chimed in softly, pulling him from his thoughts. Zagreus turned up to Thanatos. He had entered the room and pulled his chair back to sit down. His eyebrows were turned up, looking down on Zagreus. He opened his mouth, before biting his lip and sitting down. He looked down at the mug held in his hands. “Hey, what I… it’s just-”

“You’re right.” Zagreus felt his voice catch. There was too much rushing around in his mind. Of course Thanatos would be sick of him. Thanatos closed his eyes.

“Zagreus-”

“If you want to tell me something, now's the time.” Zagreus forced out. Thanatos kept his sight on the steam coming out of the cup. “I won’t be mad…” Zagreus commented. Thanatos looked up before turning to Zagreus, a wave of confusion rolling over his face.

“W- Zagreus would you let me finish?” Thanatos cut in. He took a deep breath. “You don’t know what I’m trying to say, so stop acting like you do. Earlier, I didn’t mean to… Well, no I did… Ugh, god, why is this so hard?” Thanatos lifted his hands, dragging them down his face. He placed them both on the back of his neck, staring ahead. Zagreus watched as the gears in his head turned. “What I mean is I know you’ve had it hard.” Zagreus blinked before responding.

“You didn’t know that before?” Thanatos huffed, eyebrows raising. 

“News flash, I’ve known.” He sighed. “Even through all the terrible things you’ve dealt with, anyone could count on you. You’re a friend of all. I don’t know how you do it, honestly. Even if someone’s a complete asshole to you, you still offer an olive branch.” Zagreus paused.

“Is...is this somehow about Thesus?” Zagreus questioned, completely lost. “Because just so we’re clear, he’s still an asshole.” A tiny smile formed on Thanatos’ lips before he shook his head.

“No, not about him- though he’s definitely proof of that- but don’t change the subject. Despite everything, you always try to be strong and there for everyone. I admire that about you, but you- ugh.” Thanatos groaned. He exhaled, moving one of his hands over to rest on Zagreus’ arm. “Look, Zagreus, let me restart. You’re important to me.” The two’s eyes connected. Amber shined with compassion. “You really are.” Zagreus blinked at him. His eyebrows furrowed. That’s not what he was expecting to hear.

“You’re really important to me, too, Than.” He replied honestly. Thanatos moved his hand to hold Zagreus’.

“So why would you ever even think I would leave you? Or that I’m somehow burdened by you?” Thanatos looked hurt as he asked. “You’re one of the most important people to me! I know I haven’t always been the greatest friend, but I’ll always be here for you.” He ran his thumb over Zagreus' knuckle. “I don’t get why you can’t understand that.” Zagreus’ eyes widened. 

“Thanatos…” Zagreus spoke softly. Thanatos glanced down at their hands.

“Is it that you don't think I care?” Thanatos moved his free hand up to his forehead. “I’ve been trying to make time, but I know it’s not a lot.” 

“No! No no no no no no.” Zagreus cut in. Thanatos turned to look at him. Zagreus squeezed into Thanatos' hand. “You’re not- oh my god, of course, you would think that.” Zagreus felt relief rush over him. Thanatos raised an eyebrow.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He snapped back, confused. Zagreus let out a small laugh.

“I think something stupid and then overthink and get you worried and then you overthink it and blame yourself.” Zagreus shook his head as he spoke. “Thanatos, you do everything right. I’m… oh my god.” Zagreus used his free hand to rub out the water starting to gather in the corner of his eyes as he laughed. “I swore you were about to tell me off finally!”

“Tell you off finally, what-no!” Thanatos exclaimed, leaning towards Zagreus. “You’re unbelievable.” Thanatos’ lips turned upwards. “I’m so sorry, that was not my intention.”

“Yeah, no shit Sherlock! I realize that now.” Zagreus smiled. “Look, I don’t know what I told you last night but,” Zagreus moved his free hand to join his other one, grabbing Thanatos'. “You mean the world to me, Than. I should be apologizing for making you doubt that.” Thanatos stared at him, smiling back.

“You said something similar last night, actually.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two really said "I am about to overthink everything so hard" 
> 
> But in seriousness, thank you again for reading! I really appreciate all the Kudos and comments like yall make my day :,O !! I've decided that I'm gonna do 2 more chapters to round this out! One more Than/night and then a final Zag/morning! I,,, want to write more Hades stuff after wards lol


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